Yahoo and Microsoft concluded an agreement last week that will see Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, used on Yahoo. This effectively creates a new rival to Google, the search-engine giant. How does this affect us? Locally Bing has an estimated search market share of 4% and Yahoo 2%. Their combined market share of 6% is still […]
Tech
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Amazon’s e-book disappearing act
If you haven’t heard, in an Orwellian faux pas Amazon recently deleted (and refunded) purchased copies of 1984 and Animal Farm from its customers’ Kindle e-readers. It was the wake-up call the anti-DRM lobby was probably hoping for, and it’s raised a storm of discussion (and confusion) about the evil that is digital rights management. […]
Posted inBusiness, Media, Tech
Meet Al Caphone, capo de tutti capi of SA’s telecommunications cartel
In the past six months Vodacom made more than R14 billion, 12.2% better than it performed previously. While millions of South Africans suffer the very worst of the global economic crisis, it seems counter-intuitive that a telecommunications company can bask in that kind of profitability. This should spark great admiration. Until you come face to face […]
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The pied pipers of social media
As the internet morphed from Web 1.0 — oh wait there was no Web 1.0 — to Web 2.0 and towards Web 3.0 it’s showing some interesting new trends. In particular social media is the hot topic to end all hot topics at the moment. That’s where it’s all at, isn’t it? One would be […]
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It’s the end of the world as we know it
We may not have reached the point where the normally trustworthy laptop politely, but firmly says: “I’m sorry, Llewellyn, but I cannot allow that.” Yet! But the glorious imbroglio that has crashed down around the great Time magazine with the publication of its hitherto supposedly authoritative “100 Most Influential People in the World” for 2009 […]
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Who’s the clever one then?
Submitted by Terry White I was doodling through my favourite website, Wikipedia, and I came across an article on “National IQ”. In 2006, Dr Richard Lynn and Dr Tatu Vanhanen published a book called IQ and Global Inequality. In the book they list the average IQs of 185 nations and make an argument that international […]
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The Presence Builder: Be careful how you present yourself online
This is the first of a few articles that will provide some advice on how to go about building your presence online. This Presence Builder will advise on such things as why your avatar choice is important, why your online name must be picked with caution to what you vote for on social networking sites, […]
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A new way of mourning, on Facebook
Facebook has changed the nature of friendship for many South Africans; I know that without it, my own sense of isolation would be so much worse. Facebook has also changed the way we mourn. Now, when terrible things happen to people we care about, we create Facebook groups in their honour. I was reminded of […]
Posted inBusiness, Tech
I phone, you phone, we all foam at the mouth for an iPhone
Ok, the familiar jingle doesn’t quite translate, but there’s every indication that Apple’s iPhone is just as popular as ice-cream. In just a little over a year and half from its launch, the iPhone has achieved a 32% market share and holds an unassailable lead as the world’s trendiest and most sought after device. No […]
Posted inBusiness, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Corruption-free politics — the blueprint
Over the last 18 months we have brought this innovation to the attention of all of the represented political parties. Now for the first time, we share this hitherto confidential “inside information” with you. Assuming that all politicians got into politics to help people and that, if given the opportunity, both politicians and political party […]
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Making money on the web
It seems that effective monetising of websites may still be a hit and miss affair. In an interesting article on Brand Republic the discussion is about a video site called Hulu. According to projected ad revenue figures Hulu will be earning as much if not more advertising revenue in 2009 than YouTube will. What is […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Is the new news news to you?
NO ONE could hold it against you if you hadn’t noticed the extent to which our news media are in crisis. After all, the traditional media are no longer the source of your really important news any more. And by “really important” I mean really important to YOU. Of course, the headlines of the day […]